What Love Sacrifices
by Kristiana
Summary: AU Darth Vader is after Padme...though we aren't sure EXACTLY why...rated T just in case. R
1. Default Chapter

**Author's note: Okay umm.. I'm going to explain a few things first: One, Padme still hassome of herhandmaidens from when she was Queen. Two, Anakin has already joined the Dark Side and left her. Three, the twins have already been born and separated. I think that's about it...okay enjoy! Oh wait! This is my first fanfic so...be gentle: ) Oh yeah, title might change later, I'll give you a heads up first if I decide to.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters. Wish I did own Anakin though..hehehe. ; )

Moving along now!

What Love Sacrifices

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"I love you," He said, his rich voice washing over her. She looked up into his crystal blue eyes and whispered, "I love you too..." Both of their heads moved closer to each other, and just before their lips met, someone called her name.

"Padme!"

Ignoring the voice, Padme turned back to him.

"Padme, wake up!" The voice cried, and Padme felt two small hands grab her shoulders, and then shaking her.

"No..." Padme murmured in her sleep. Too late. He was slipping away. "Anakin!" she called out. Suddenly, her eyes opened.

Immediately, she saw her best friend, Sabe, in front of her, with a concerned look on her face. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Padme squinted, "Yes, I think so…I...I had another dream about…him." She said softly.

Sabe's face took on a relieved expression, yet there was still some concern. "I'm sorry," she said, taking Padme into her arms. "You don't deserve this."

"Oh, I miss him so much!" Padme wailed in a pitiful voice. "Why did he have to.." Padme couldn't finish her sentence, because a guard pounded on her bedroom door.

"Come in," Sabe called out.

The guard wasted no time in doing so. He came through the door, and swiftly strode over to where Padme and Sabe sat.

"Milady, I wouldn't have bothered you, but I'm afraid it's urgent," he said quickly, clenching his hands.

"What is it?" Padme asked, feeling a chill run down her spine.

The guard seemed to shiver. "It's…Lord Vader."


	2. Coming

Disclaimer: Don't own any of it...

**What Love Sacrifices****_Chapter 1_**

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_**"What?" Padme asked, her breath slowing at the mentioning of him. 

"Yes, Milady, Vader," the guard replied.

Padme completely froze. She knew that this day would eventually come. It was inevitable, Sabe had said to her. He would come. Sabe even had some bags ready for them, so they could leave when they received news that he was coming. Padme just didn't think it would be so soon.

"T-Thank you," Padme said, letting the guard know that he could leave them.

"Yes Milady," the guard said, bowing slightly and leaving the room.

"Well," Sabe said, "You should get dressed, and head for the escape transport."

"Yes," Padme answered.

Ten minutes later, Rabe had joined them and all three of the women had changed into identical outfits; dark blue form-fitting shirts and pants, with black cloaks with hoods. Their hair was in a simple bun (A/N think handmaidens' buns in TPM, in the war scene). They also all had laser pistols hidden carefully into holsters on there hips, covered by the cloaks. The reason for dressing alike was because Sabe and Rabe were to act as decoys.

After they had sent all of their luggage with some servants to the ship. The trio went out into the night to the docking platform where their ship would be leaving, unnoticed.

At least, they thought they were unnoticed. Suddenly, a laser flew past them, and hit one of the ships crewman.

Padme, Rabe, and Sabe's heads shot upward, their eyes searching around for something. Movement. Anything that could give away the location of the assassin.

However, before she spotted anyone, Padme felt Sabe's hand encircle hers. "RUN!" Sabe yelled, dragging her forward.

All three of them broke out into a sprint, as lasers kept shooting around them, as if searching for victims. However, none of the shots seemed to be directed at any of the three women. Yes, it had to be Vader's men, who had to have had instructions not to harm Padme.

Finally, they made it onto the ship, and the doors closed behind them. Immediately, the ship lifted into the air, making its way through the tall buildings. The ship had made through to the clouds, when a laser hit the side of the ship.

Padme, felt a deep shudder, that sent back against a wall. "Ow," she groaned. She heard a few more groans as well, coming from some of the crew, as well as Sabe and Rabe.

"Is everyone alright?" Padme asked, concerned.

Everyone said they were fine, but one of the pilots said the ship probably wasn't.

Another man, and engineer, came in and said that they had just sent the droids out to repair the damage that had been done. He also said the damage wasn't too bad, and the ship should be fine.

"Oh thank goodness," Rabe sighed, relieved. "We should probably head to the bedrooms, Milady. You look like you could use some sleep."

"Yes, maybe some sleep would do me good. You, as well," Padme returned, heading towards the back of the ship with her two handmaidens following her.

They reached the bedchambers, and Padme said goodnight. "Sleep well. And thank you."

"Goodnight," Rabe and Sabe echoed.

Once the doors were closed, Padme let out a big sigh. She then walked over to the bed, and curling up, fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Soon, there was a figure standing above her. Squinting, Padme looked up into the face above her…Vader's.

Alarmed, Padme tried open her eyes, but found she couldn't. It was as if her eyelids were glued together, forcing her to sleep. "What do you want from me!" She wailed to him.

"Soon…" he replied, "Soon my sweet…" His voice had a rich, yet very dark sound to it. She looked into his once warm blue eyes, and saw ice. Anger, cruelty, the opposite of what they used to show. "…You can't hide forever, Padme. It's inevitable that we'll meet, just as it was inevitable that I would come looking for you….you'll see," he said.

Then, he vanished, and the lock was released on Padme's eyelids. She whipped up into a sitting position, opening her eyes. She was drenched in sweat. Wiping her forehead, she let out a shaky breath. "It was just a dream…just a dream…" her mouth kept saying over and over. However, her mind was questioning. Right?

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**A/N **Okay, that's what I've got so far...what do you guys think? I don't know that I'm totally satisfied with this chapter, but do you like it? Also I have a question about the handmaidens for ya. I didn't want Padme to have a ton of them, but I knew I wanted some from TPM. I thought Sabe, Rabe, and Yane looked most like her, but I just stuck with two. Do you think I should have Sabe, Rabe, and Yane, or Sabe, Eirtae, and Yane? Or keep it the way it is? Or any other way with other handmaidens?I don't know...I know this is stupid but I'm picky like that...and need a life ;-). Well, I love reveiws, feel free to give me advice! 


	3. Dream & confessions

Disclaimer: Don't own any of this...

**A/N I just want to thank everyone who's updated so far (even if it's not a whole lot). I really really appreciate it. This is my first fanfic, and I really didn't know what everyone would think of it. You guys have really inspired to continue with this. Thanks!**

And now...

**What Love Sacrifices

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Chapter 2

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Several hours later, Padme awoke to the sound of pounding on her door. Rushing over to it, she grabbed the handle, prepared to open the door, then stopped. How did she know who was behind it? It could be one of Vader's men…had the enemy captured their ship while she was sleeping? That wasn't too likely; she would have heard shots from the guns…but still…

Sabe's voice broke her thoughts with, "Padme? Padme are you in there?"

Shaking her head and telling herself that she was being way too paranoid, Padme opened the door, and stepped aside to let her friend in.

"Did I wake you up?" Sabe asked as she strode into the room.

"Oh no," Padme said quickly, embarrassed.

Sabe smiled. "Padme, you're a horrible liar," she said. "Your hair's all messed up, and your clothes are rumpled."

" Okay, you caught me. But I can't be that bad if I hid the fact I was married to Anakin _and_ my pregnancy," Padme said with a teasing expression.

"Yeah, that's true…" Sabe began, "but…", she stopped and looked at Padme.

"What?" Padme asked uncomfortably.

"Well, why do you speak of being married to Anakin in the past tense?"

Padme sighed. "I-I guess it's because…well," Padme stopped, closing her eyes, and remembering some of her memories with Anakin.

**Flashback**

"**Anakin? Anakin, where are you?" Padme asked, stepping outside of the cottage that they were spending their time away from work in.**

**Suddenly, a small twig cracked a few away from her, behind a large tree.**

**Shaking her head, Padme walked towards it saying, "Really Anakin, I would think a Jedi Knight would be able to be more quiet than that." She reached the tree, and proceeded to walk around it in a circle, finding no one. "Huh," she said, surprised.**

**Behind her, Anakin jumped down from the tree soundlessly, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to the ground.**

"**Anakin!" Padme said, who had been caught completely off guard.**

**Her husband laid her flat on her back, and then proceeded to tickle her mercilessly.**

"**Oh, no…please! Oh, stop it!" Padme screeched loudly. "No, not there!" She yelled when Anakin reached her neck. "Come on now!"**

"**Okay, okay," Anakin replied, giving in. He lay down next to her, and she turned her face to the side so she could look at him. His beautiful blue eyes were staring right back into her deep brown ones. The air smelled like cherry blossoms, and the wind blew in Padme's hair. Leaning closer to each other…**

**End of Flashback**

"Padme, hello!" Sabe said, snapping her fingers in Padme's face.

"What?" Padme asked, shaking her head.

"You were going to tell me why you talked about marriage with Anakin in the past tense. Then, you slipped off somewhere…got this dreamy-eyed look…drooling," Sabe said with a mischievous grin, and received a smack on the arm.

"I was_not _drooling!" Padme scoffed.

"Okay. You weren't, sorry, but are you going to answer my previous question?"

"Well," Padme began, closing her eyes.

"Stop that!"

"Okay, okay," Padme laughed. "Anyway, think about it. Anakin used to be this fun-loving, adorable, sweet man and now…he's…well quite frankly, pure evil."

Sabe frowned. "True, but he's still your husband."

"Right. Legally, but the man I married is gone. He might as well be dead," Padme replied sadly.

"Oh Padme, don't think like that," Sabe said, putting an arm around her best friend. "I bet there's still some good in him. You can't lose faith. I believe that there's always some good in everyone."

"I don't know Sabe. I…well just a few hours ago went I first came in here to go to sleep, I had a dream. Well, I think it was a dream. It was like it was really happening, like he was trying to contact me," Padme began.

"He?" Sabe asked, confused.

"Yes…Vader."

Sabe gasped.

"I know," Padme said, rubbing her arm. "Well, I fell asleep, and it was like I…wasn't. It was so strange, because my eyes were almost glued shut, but I saw it all so clearly. I saw a shadow of a figure standing above me, and I looked up, and it was Vader. He had changed so much…he still had a handsome face, but it's kindness was replaced with unspeakable cruelty. His eyes were filled with malice, and hate…it was awful. Then he said 'soon; a few times. That's all. 'Soon'."

Padme rubbed her arm again. She was feeling awfully cold… looking down, she saw that she had goose bumps. Just talking about the experience gave her chills. "Then, when he disappeared, the lock on my eyes were released, and I woke up in a sweat," she finished.

Sabe sat still for a moment. "Wow," she finally said. "It…it sounds like he really HAS changed," pausing, she gave Padme a sorrowful look. "I'm sorry," Sabe finished.

"Me too," Padme answered, a tear sliding down her cheek.

A knock sounded at the door. "Padme? Sabe?" it was Rabe. "We've landed."

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**A/N **Okay guys, that's what I've got so far. But do you think I'm moving too fast. Like I mean, when Sabe came into the room, they kind of got into the conversation really quickly. Did it seem like that to you? Well, I should be having longer chapters soon (thought I can't make promises), I am just having trouble deciding where I want this to go. I have the middle part of the story figured out (weird I know)...I just have to finish the beginning. Well, reviews could really help! ;-)


	4. Wild Bantha Chase

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Star Wars, just the planet Yuria that I made up ;-)

**What Love Sacrifices**

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**_Chapter Three _**

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They had landed on a small planet named Yuria, which was a safe distance from Coruscant, to stop for a few quick repairs. Yuria was an absolutely beautiful planet, similar to Naboo and the Yavin system. It had lush green forests, shimmering lakes, and was always warm. The air smelt of sweet honeysuckle, dancing with the wind.

Stepping off the ship, Padme took in a deep breath of the sweet air. Walking over to a small stream nearby, she kneeled and looked down at her reflection. Her eyes were mirroring exactly what she felt: tiredness, pain; a suffering that couldn't be explained. She was running from her love, and she had recently lost her children…the three things that had kept her going. What part of her life was worth living anymore?

_No_, she told herself. _Don't think like that._

Maybe…maybe there still was something left…a piece of happiness that she could hold on to, that was worth finding, and fighting for. She just had to look harder, and deeper for whatever it was.

Sick of seeing her pitiful expression, Padme reached out and struck the water. She sighed deeply and then buried her head in her hands, and wept silently.

When the sun began setting, everyone decided that they should probably just stay there for the night. The repairs were finished, but everyone was tired and didn't feel like going on a wild bantha chase; them being the bantha.

After eating little, Padme said goodnight to Rabe and Sabe, and then retired to bed.

Several hours later however, Padme woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. After much debate, she decided to take a short walk outside.

Creeping slowly outside, she ran a hand through her dark hair. A breeze came by, causing her nightgown to flutter along with herchocolate mane. There she stood, looking at the moon, clutching a small necklace around her neck. The japor snippet that had come from Anakin.

"I miss you…" she murmured as she rubbed her thumb over the smooth, intricate cuts in the pendant.

Leaning back onto the ship, she closed her eyes, humming softly to herself. Theatmosphere soothed her,and allowed her to relax. Even if just for ashort while, it allowed her to be mellow...calm.

Suddenly, the moment ended. As if just realizing that it wasn't safe for her to be alone outside, Padme turned around to go back inside. As she did this, something caught her eye. A red flashing was coming underneath a small flap of the ship. Looking closer, she realized what the flash was coming from. She saw a small object the size of a button. Yanking it off the ship, she studied it until she realized what it was.

"No…no," she gulped, as she started to walk backwards. Turning, she threw it as far as she could in the stream, and then ran back into the ship.

"Get up!" she screamed. "We have to leave NOW!"

"What's wrong?" one of the pilots asked, running over to her.

"There's a tracking device on the ship!" Padme panted. "I got rid of it, but we need to leave NOW!"

"Yes Milady, we'll take off right away."

A chain reaction went through the ship and within 2 minutes, everyone was awake, and the ship was heading into hyperspace.

Padme let out a shaky breath. It looked like they'd have their wild bantha chase after all.

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**A/N **Okay, sorry that was kind of short. I was wondering, do you guys want me to show what's been going on with Vader and his...posse in the next chapter? Well, if you do, then you'll have to review! (haha cool that rhymed) hint hint 

mwah

Kristiana


	5. Escape

**A/N: Sorry it took me a couple days to update, I just kind of got stuck. Anyway,**

**Hillary: I haven't meant for her to seem like that so far...I don't like it when she's like that either, doing everything she's told w/o a fight, apologizing for things that aren't her fault..yeah. Well, don't worry, she'll be like totally independent later.**

**Okay guys, first I need your opinion on something. A while back I wrote a fanfic for my own amusement so I didn't post it. I'm planning on taking that fanfic as the middle part of this story. The only problem is that that's a comedy. So do you think I should use it but turn more serious, and then when I'm done with this story, do another version as a comedy?**

**Also, I'm changing the title. It doesn't fit. SO...I need ideas!**

Well, that's all, now on with the story!

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Chapter 4

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"Finally," he whispered. Finally he had her within his grasp. It wouldn't be long now. 

"Lord Vader," a voice said, breaking into his thoughts.

"What?" Vader asked in an irritated voice as he turned around. Before him stood the short, balding Admiral Myers.

Meyers tried to control his voice as he answered. "I have come to inform you that we should be landing on Yuria in a few minutes." Why, oh why did _he_ have to be the one reporting to Vader? The man was a monster. He was a tall, intimidating man with chilling blue eyes that could make you freeze with one look. He also never hesitated to hurt, or kill, anyone.

Vader laughed inside as he looked down at the little man in front of him. Not only Myers, but everyone else on the ship was afraid of him…he loved it because it made him feel his power. The power of the Dark Side was everything he had been promised…he was the second most feared man in the galaxy. _Someday the first_, he told himself, relishing the thought.

"Thank you Admiral. You may go now."

"Yes sir," Myers said as he flew out of the room as quickly as he could.

With a sinister smile, Vader turned to look out the window. They were now descending through the blackened clouds on Yuria. "Soon…" he whispered, repeating the words that he had uttered to Padme the last time he'd communicated with her.

He had been meditating, and then had searched for her with the Force. After finding her, he had once again used the Force, this time to communicate. She had been terrified; fear had been emanating off of her…from a vision even. If she had even that much fear when she finally saw him in body, then he would surely get the cooperation that he wanted.

"Lord Vader," a voice said over the intercom, interrupting his thoughts. "We have landed on Yuria. It is now safe to leave the ship."

At once, Vader made his way through the ship, receiving looks of terror from everyone he passed.

Finally, he stepped outside, onto the grass. Behind him came a storm trooper who had a small device in his hands. After briefly studying it, he turned to Vader and said, "This way."

"No need," Vader said. "I've already felt their presence," he said, stalking through the forest, with storm troopers following behind him.

After walking about ¼ of a mile, Vader felt Padme's presence very strongly…and heard the sound of a ship taking off. "No!" Vader yelled, furious. Running a few more steps, he reached a clearing, and looked up to see a ship lifting off the ground. He also felt Padme's presence leaving him. He stood there, glaring after it. _I do NOT have time for a wild bantha chase!_

"Lord Vader," a shaking voice said from behind him.

Slowly turning around, Vader asked in a soft, dangerous sounding voice, "What?"

The storm trooper cleared his throat. "Well, according to this," he said, holding up his small device, "the ship should still be on the ground, but it's not."

"A brilliant observation," Vader said in a cold voice.

The trooper once again cleared his throat nervously. "So that means the tracking device is no longer on the ship," he finished shakily.

"Well then," Vader said in the same chilling voice, "I suggest that you and your sprint back to the ship, so we don't lose them!"

"Yes sir," the trooper said, before turning around and running as if his life depended on it. It might.

Turning back towards the direction of the ship as well, Vader too started to run, but something caught his eye. Picking it up, he studied it. Suddenly he knew what it was.

**Flashback**

"**I made this for you. It will bring you good fortune."**

**End of Flashback**

A Japor Snippet pendant.


	6. Attack!

**Responses:**

**Hillary: You said that it made you feel special because I answered you review. Wow, it actually makes me feel like some sort of celebrity or something because you feel special!**

**Natalie-Corr: It was cool how you said you hope Anakin realizes what he sacrificed to become a Sith. That inspires me to keep my title. Although, I still might change it (hint hint ideas everyone). Thanks though, that helped!**

**Kede Diem: I'm just pretending the lava pit thing never happened. I can't stand it when he'sin that awful suit. I guess I should've clarified. Thanks!**

**And thanks to everyone else. You're support means so much!**

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Chapter 5

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Not long after the ship had taken off the ground, they were surrounded by Emperial fighters. 

"To your stations at once!" Captain LyHett was shouting, running around the vast room. "They're right on our tails!"

Rushing into the control room, Padme looked around for the captain. When she spotted LyHett, she ran over to him, her eyes filling with concern and fear.

"Captain, what's happening?" she inquired in her regal voice.

"It appears that Vader has caught up to us. There are fighters everywhere!" Lyhett exclaimed, thrusting his hands toward the windows to emphasize his point. "If we don't fight back, then I'm afraid there is no chance of escape," he explained in an apologetic voice. Running his hand through his hair, he nervously awaited Senator Amidala's response.

Padme thought for a moment, pressing her fist against her mouth. "Why doesn't the pilot switch to light speed?" she asked, terribly confused as to why no one had thought of that.

"I'm afraid there's an error with the computers Milady."

Sitting down a gray seat dejectedly, all Padme could force out was a small, "Oh."

Putting her head in her hands, the Senator let out an exasperated sigh. It seemed that they were finally stuck. After all they had been through to escape, they were cornered.

She sat that way for what seemed like an eternity to the captain. He was about to order the men to surrender when her head snapped up, her brown eyes filled with a brilliant spark of determination. Looking at Lyhett, she exclaimed, "Well, what are you waiting for? Order your men to fire! The sooner we get out of this mess, the better."

A slow smile appeared on LyHett's face. "Yes Milady!" Turning to face everyone in the room, he ordered, "Come on men, let's show 'em what us Rebels can do!"

Several whoops and cheers were heard, as well as, "Yes Sir!" as the men grabbed their triggers, ready to fight.

Looking around at all these brave men, Padme wanted so desperately to help these men who were so willing to risks their lives for _her_. She raced over and grabbed one of the many swiveling chairs positioned in front of a glass dome. Outside the glass there were powerful laser machines, and inside the glass was a trigger. The whole machine swiveled with the chair, so that one could aim anywhere.

Turning left and right, Padme shot whoever dared to fire or come near her vicinity. As colored lasers shot all around everyone, Padme kept saying to herself over and over that they would make it, no matter what.

For almost an hour of battling, the Rebels met with disaster. The ship was hit, and damaged terribly. Everyone abruptly stopped firing. They knew they were defeated. There was no longer hope.

After a moment of dead, sickening silence, the ship began ringing with the words, "Abandon ship!"

Fortunately however, there were enough escape pods for every soul on board. (A/N unlike Titanic ;-P)Some held several people, and a few held only one.

Padme raced to her cabin and grabbed her small bag, and headed for an escape pod. She was almost inside when she heard two familiar voices call out to her.

"Padme, wait!"

Turning around toward the voices, Padme saw her two close friends, Sabe and Rabe, looking at her with tears in their eyes.

Padme immediately rushed over to them, tears now forming in her eyes. Enveloping them into a big hug, she whispered, "Don't worry; this isn't the end. I swear we'll all meet again."

Rabe swept her hands across her face, wiping away old tears, that were quickly replaced with new ones. Sabe draped her arm across her shoulders, and turned back to Padme. She reached into a large, hidden pocket in her robes, and produced a com link, which she handed to Padme saying, "Contact us. We each have one. If you get into trouble, then we'll find a way to help."

"T-thank you," Padme managed through her tears. "I love you two. Goodbye."

With that, she wrapped them in another hug, and turned back to the pod. She shut the door and strapped herself in. With a wave to her friends, she shot out from the ship, and into the glittering stars. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she whispered, "I'll see you again soon, I promise."

After a few moments of dwelling on her friends and the brave souls on the ship, she realized that she needed to decide where to go. Naboo seemed to obvious. Tatooine wasn't too far, but it was a dreadfully hot planet, and she would have virtually nowhere to go. The Yavin system was only 2 parsecs away, however, and there were plenty of places to stay, so she decided on that. Setting her coordinates for Yavin 2, she leaned back, and tried to enjoy the ride.

That proved to be difficult however, because she was so worried about the others on the ship. How she longed for some company so she could at least maybe have some reassurance.

What she did not know however, was that she was certainlynot alone.

A short time later, Padme's pod landed on Yavin two, on a small landing port. Paying her small fee, she grabbed her bag and headed toward a small cottage that was owned by her aunt and uncle. They wouldn't be there because it was a get away that they used on Holidays, and there hadn't been any for awhile. Plus, there wasn't any reason for Vader to look there, because Anakin had never known about it.

_Anakin…_she thought. The mentioning of his name flooded her mind with memories of him. His handsome face, marvelous blue eyes, and teasing smile. Tears began to flood her eyes. She had been lying to both herself and Sabe when she gave the impression that she accepted his 'death'. She was still deeply in love with him, and wanted him back desperately. She needed him.

About 15 minutes later, she reached the cottage. It was actually, quite big. It had two levels, a large garden, an indoor swimming pool, and a small pond. It was beautiful inside as well; there was expensive furniture, fireplaces in every bedroom including the parlor, 3 refreshers, a large kitchen, as well asa dining room.

Padme went upstairs to a small bedroom, decorated entirely in a soft yellow. After looking out the window for a few moments, she went into the adjoining refresher to take a bath.

As she soaked in the hot water, her eyes were demanding that she let them close. After a few moments, she fell asleep.

**I'm coming….**

Padme's eyes snapped open. That voice…it had been so dark…and…clear.

Shaking her head, she decided she must be hearing things because of all the stress she was under. She stepped out of the bathub and put a large towel around herself. After drying her hair, she walked back into the bedroom and chose a lavender shirt with matching pants. Once she was dressed, she decided to go for a short walk in the garden.

As she crept down the stairs, she noticed that the lights were off.

_Strange,_ she thought. _I left them on…_

Suddenly, she heard a noise. When she turned around, a scream caught in her throat.

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Cliff hanger! I'm sorry but I couldn't resist. Though it probably won't take you guys too long to figure out what she's screaming about...Well, click that little "go"button and review! 


	7. Like My Life

Hillary: If you could give me your e-mail then I'd be glad to answer your question. The reason I'm not answering here is because I don't want to ruin it for anyone!

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: Chapter Seven :

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Suddenly, she heard a noise. When she turned around, a scream caught in her throat. 

Before her stood a dark figure. Padme stood, shocked,in the same spot for what seemed like eternity, waiting for the stranger to make a move.

After quite some time, it still hadn't moved. Padme decided she would have to be the one to do something first, and raced over to the wall to her right thathad thelight switch. She flicked it on, and stared.

Before her was her dark cloak on the coat stand. Exhaleing sharply, she mentally told herself how stupid she was, and turned into the kitchen to get some water.

AsPadme poured the liquid into her glass, she closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She wanted to get away from all the chaos in the galaxy. For almost her whole life, she had been caught up in it; she had been involved in politics since she was just a girl. No wait, she didn't want a _break_ from it, she wanted to get away from it permanently. She wanted to live with her husband and children in a peaceful, beautiful, secluded place. Someplace like the Lake Country...

Padme'sthoughts were interrupted by the feeling of cold water flowing over her hand. Shrieking, she dropped the glass. It smashed, shattering into thousands of pieces onto the floor. Like her life. The glass scattered everywhere, never to be put back together again. Like her life. Broken.

_Like my life..._

Staring at the shining pieces, Padme realized that her life would never be the same. All of her precious memories, scattered and lost forever. Her life would never be the same again.

Crumpling to the floor, she buried her face in her hands and let out all of her frustrations and sadness that she had kept bottled up for the past year. Tears came cascading down her face like to waterfalls; she never seemed to run out of them. In a few short moments, they were puring through her fingers.

For almost and hour she weeped, until her head suddenly jerked up. Her bloodshot eyes flamed in anger, as she stared straight ahead at nothing. Her lips moved one word : Him.

It was all because ofhim. Because of him that her family had been ripped apart, her children taken away from her. Because of him that innocent people had been brutally murdered. Because of him that her family and friends were in hiding. Because of him that Palpatine had his evil Empire. All because of him.

_Because of you Anakin._

She didn't care about his pathetic excuses of, "Anakin is dead. I am Vader now." Anakin had made the choice to listen to Palaptine in the first place had he not?

_Anakin, this is all **your** fault._

* * *

Did I surprise ya?

So what'd you think? I originally wasn't going to update this soon, but I decided I couldn't leave you with such a bad cliffhanger.

Oh yeah, Padme will eventually realize that Anakin was seduced by the Dark Side don't worry. She's just being...dumb now:-) I guess it's just because she's all stressed out.

Well, review! And I'm sorry this is kinda short. I'm trying to start give you guys longer chapters.


	8. Familiar

Hillary: Haha you didn't give me your whole e-mail adress in your last review. Oh no, everyone's two cents worth is important to me.

Thank you sooo much for all your great reivews!

* * *

Chapter 8

* * *

Padme awoke to sunlight streaming in her face. Yawning, she sat up and rubbed her hand over her face. Looking around, she noticed that she was in…the kitchen. There was also glass all over the floor. After a few puzzling moments, she remembered the events of the previous night. 

Muttering to herself, Padme stood up and got the broom out of the closet in the hall. She quickly swept up the glass, and then went upstairs to freshen up a little.

Padme stood in front of the bathroom mirror, and looked at her face. Her normally smooth skin seemed to look old; she was pale with dark circles under her eyes. Speaking of her eyes, they seemed to have lost their fire. She looked almost lifeless from all the crying she had done.

Deciding that maybe she just needed to clean up, she took a quick shower, the water feeling soothing as it glided down her skin. Afterward, she changed into a light blue skirt with flowered embroidery across the waist, with a matching blue midriff top, that had the embroidery across the long sleeves. She brushed her hair and just left it down, with the hair in the front pulled back. After putting on a little bit of makeup, her face had dramatically improved.

After getting a drink of water (without dropping the glass this time), Padme then went down to the gardens. She sat down on a bench, and drank in all the beauty that was surrounding her. There were brightly colored flowers, butterflies, and a light mist from the sprinklers that she had turned on.

Padme stared at a red butterfly, not really seeing it. She was thinking of her children. She kept seeing her daughter's small face looking up at her with her deep brown eyes that mirrored hers, and her son's face, a replica of her husband. Luke's eyes were also exactly like Anakin's. Crystal blue pools that seemed to dance when he laughed. She remembered happier days, when her and Anakin had been overjoyed at the fact that they were expecting. It had been utter bliss. Well, other than the fact that they had to hide it from the rest of the galaxy, but other than that, they couldn't be happier.

_But no, he had to go and ruin it,_ Padme thought angrily. She started in on another chain of angry thoughts towards him, but stopped, telling herself that she didn't need to put anymore stress on herself. Padme then resumed thinking about happier times.

As Padme was in the middle of her thoughts, she noticed something familiar. A black falcon with a strip of red that went straight down the middle of its head flew into the garden. It perched on a nearby tree, and cocked its head at her. Padme looked at it closely. She knew that bird…the distinctive red mark told her that. If only she could remember whom it belonged to…

Padme suddenly jumped up and ran toward a large maze a few steps away from where she had been sitting. She had remembered where she had seen that bird. Palpatine strange as it washad kept a large black falcon in his large office…with a unique red strip down its head.

Once inside the maze, she began to head for the exit which was on the other side of the garden. Luckily, at the end there was a hidden door that would lead back into the house. Again, Padme realized that she had another stroke of luck because Sola and she had spent so many hours in this maze as children that she knew it like the back of her hand.

Padme had only made it a small distance inside the maze before she heard footsteps and several voices behind her. She pushed herself to run faster.

Suddenly, A Storm Trooper jumped out over the top of another wall of the maze, trying to corner her. It was not a problem however, because he was blocking a turn to her right that she didn't need to take. Sharply turning to the left, Padme ran down the small, curvy path until she was greeted by thick branches that would be hard to get past. Ducking down on her hands and knees, she crawled through. Standing up, she started to run but noticed that her skirt was caught in one of the branches.

"No…" Padme murmured frantically, a panicked expression crossing her beautiful face. Yanking as hard as she could, Padme finally got it free just as a Storm trooper reached under the branches to grab her. Desperately, she made herself running faster, exhausted sounds coming from her weary body.

She came to another branch that was sticking out in the middle of the maze a short time later. It was completely blocking the path before her, but with a small space on the right that a small person could squeeze through. Padme knew that she could make it, but a Storm Trooper would have some difficulty.

Padme raced towards the side of the large branch, and tried squeezing past it, but several thorns dug into the side of her stomach. Flinching and trying not to scream as it ripped across her flesh.

Finally, she had gotten past the branch, and turned another corner. She was met by several Storm Troopers holding blasters. Turning around, she saw that several others were jumping over the branch.

"It looks like you won't be running anywhere else Milady," A trooper said.

Gasping for air, Padme nodded in defeat. She could see that there was no getting out of this one. Pressing her hand to her wound, she could feel the sticky blood oozing from it. She felt weary, hot and winded. Everything started to spin, then went black. The last thing she saw were the white boots of the troopers running towards her.

* * *

Padme awoke to the feeling of a cool washcloth dabbing her forehead.

"That's it," a kind-sounding female voice said.

Slowly opening her eyes, she saw a slightly blurry figure before her. After a few moments, her vision became clear. Padme could see that a woman with black hair and a white jacket was standing above her, offering her a glass of water.

"Drink this," she said. "You're dehydrated."

"Thank you," Padme said, accepting the glass. After taking a sip, she asked with a puzzled expression, "Where am I?"

The woman face immediately took on a said expression, "The Emperor's Battle Station."

Padme's eyes widened, and she dropped her glass. Thankfully, the floor was carpeted to it wasn't broken, but the water had spilled everywhere. "I'm sorry," Padme said.

Stooping down to pick up the glass, the nurse nodded understandingly, "That's definitely not an unusual reaction. My name's Lena by the way."

"Thank you for taking care of me," Padme said gratefully. She looked down at her side and noticed that it was bandaged.

"That's my job," Lena said, smiling. "That's a rather nasty cut you've got there. How did you get it?"

"Thorns," Padme said, not offering any further explanation.

Padme looked around the bedroom that she was in. She saw that her things had been brought from the cottage. There was also closet, a refresher, and a small couch. The walls were painted a dark, almost black, blue. Typical for a Sith to have such dreary surroundings, she supposed.

Just then, a buzz came from the door. Lena walked over to it and pressed a small button. "Yes?"

"Is Senator Amidala awake yet?" A male voice asked.

"Yes."

"Good. The Emperor would like an audience with her."

* * *

Okay, that's it for now! I have the next long portion already written, so I'll start posting pretty good-sized chapters! 

I love reviews!


	9. Realization

: Chapter 9 :

* * *

The guards turned another into another hallway, and then stopped in front of a large, gray door. The leader pushed a small button on the wall and said, "We have her, my Lord." 

"Very good. Bring her in," Replied a sickeningly familiar voice.

Padme shivered as the door slid open, revealing a large, dark room. There was a huge window at the back of the room. In the middle of the window was a black throne that probably moved because it was now facing the window. The room as a whole gave Padme a cold feeling.

The guards suddenly pushed her into the dark room, and shut the door behind her. Now Padme was all alone with the slime that she had once called a friend.

The throne slowly turned around to that it was facing the front of the room. In it sat a hooded figure. Slowly, its head rose, revealing the Emperor, Darth Sidios. He is still had that crany neck, but his skin was much more wrinkled than she had remembered, and his eyes—his eyes were a nasty yellow with an orange-red around the eyelids. His appearance overall was sickening. He stared at Padme with that smile for a long time before he finally spoke.

"Ah, Senator Amidala, we meet again. So nice to see you."

Padme couldn't bring herself to reply.

"What's the matter, you don't recognize an old friend when you see one?" Palpatine—. Sidious asked as he stood up from his throne. He then glided toward her as if he were floating on air.

Padme gave a very unlady-like snort, her eyes burning with anger. "I would hardly call you a friend, Sidious. You're nothing but a liar who betrayed everyone in office. You're a traitor."

"Now let's not hold grudges, shall we my dear?" Sidious asked with a tsk tsk.

Padme only raised an eyebrow in response.

"You have no idea how glad I was when I heard that they had found you," Sidious said with an evil grin. Looking at the bandage on the side of her stomach, he added, "It looks like you might have had a hard time with my troopers."

"I'm sure you were glad," Padme replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She briefly placed her hand over the bandage. "What do you want with me?"

"Why don't we save that little surprise for later, Amidala. In the mean time, why don't you head back to your quarters and freshen up. You will join me and a friend in an hour to dine."

"I'd rather not."

"Well, that doesn't really make any difference, so I suggest that you have a good attitude and try not to get on my nerves."

Padme slowly nodded.

When Padme was returned to her room, she took a shower, careful not to disturb the bandages. Afterward she changed into white pants and shirt, with a sleeveless white robe that came down to her mid calf. She did several small braids in her hair.

Just as she finished, a buzz came from her bedroom door. Before answering it, Padme grabbed her small laser pistol and quickly tucked it into a pocket on the inside of her robe. Opening the door, she was greeted by two guards dressed in black, who said they were there to escort her to dinner.

Nodding, Padme stepped outside of her room, and after closing the door, followed the guards down the corridor. During the somewhat long walk, Padme tried hard to calm her anger down. Sidious was really getting on her nerves! He was a liar, a traitor, sick-minded…just completely disgusting! And…well even though he was a liar, he was a good one, Padme had to admit. For years he had everyone, even the Jedi fooled. Sidious was quite a character. Not that she admired him or anything, but he had definitely planned everything out.

They had now reached the dining room. Entering, Padme saw before her a large table, candles, the Emperor, and…Darth Vader!

Padme's anger flared once again. Sidious told her to take a seat. He was at the head of the table, with Darth Vader on the right side and Padme on the left.

Once Padme was seated, servers came in with plates with covers on them. They placed them before each person, and removed the lids. Padme saw that in front of her was a small miniature chickens, something she had heard of before, but had never had.

Before starting in on his chicken, Sidious looked up at Padme and said, "Oh by the way, I don't think you'll need that."

At first, Padme was a bit confused at what he was referring to until she saw her laser pistol shoot out from her robe and into Sidious's bony hand.

Padme could feel Vader's cold gaze on her. Agitated, she picked up her fork and knife and began taking her frustrations out on the little chicken on her plate by sawing through it.

"Now, I'm sure you're wondering exactly why you were brought here," Sidious said, not seeming to notice what she was doing.

"Slightly…" Padme said, sawing harder. She had already found some organs and taken them out.

Sidious gazed down at her plate for a moment, and then looked back at her face. Blinking, he stated, "I want you to tell me where your son is."

Padme was in the middle of pulling the gall bladder out of her bird and suddenly stopped. "Luke? Why?" She asked, pretending that she had no idea. Inside though, she was screaming.

With an amused expression, Sidious answered with, "Don't play dumb with me Senator. You know what I want. To train him as a Sith."

Padme's anger grew. Furious, she grabbed the chicken's left leg and yanked it off, making a loud cracking sound.

Vader and Sidious both stopped eating and stared at her plate. Then they both looked up to see Padme's face growing very red.

Her face took on a dark expression. "I'll die before I'll tell you."

* * *

Vader's POV 

"I want you to tell me where your son is," Vader's master stated.

Vader looked at Padme's face as she suddenly stopped fiddling with her dinner. Her skin paled as shock came. She asked, "Luke? Why?"

Vader wasn't fooled, and knew that his master wasn't either. She knew exactly what was coming next. He looked over at Sidious and saw an amused expression on his wrinkled face. He resumed eating his dinner as his master said,

"Don't play dumb with me. You know what I want. To train him as a Sith,"

Vader suddenly heard a loud crack. Looking up, he saw that Padme had just ripped the left leg off of her chicken. He glanced at her face and saw a dark expression.

"I'll die before I'll tell you," She stated in soft, dangerous tones that he had never known that she was capable of.

Sidious chuckled. "Calm down Milady. We'll figure something out I'm sure."

Padme looked as if she was about to burst with anger. "Calm down? Calm DOWN? This is an outrage! How can you expect me to calm down!"

With another evil laugh, Sidious turned to Vader. "Lord Vader, see if you can talk some sense into her, I will return momentarily." With that, he stood up and left the room.

After the door slid shut, Vader saw Padme slowly turn her head toward him. It was the first time she had looked at him this whole time. Her brown eyes met his, but instead of her usually soft, loving ones, they were fiery and fierce.

After studying her for a moment, Vader spoke up. "This situation will work out a lot more easily if you cooperate," he said in a very firm voice.

"I am NOT going to allow my son to be trained here; around all this evil," Padme said with an edge to her voice.

"He is my son too, Padme."

"He's Anakin Skywalker's son. You are obviously not him. You've changed," Padme said accusingly.

"I am the person you married," Vader stated. "Luke is my son and I will do with him what I want. And you_will_ tell my master and I where he is."

"You heard what I said. I don't care at all what you do to me, but I will die before I'll tell you _anything_!"

* * *

Padme's POV 

Padme's last statement was firm and filled with intensity. She had no guilt for yelling at him. Although what he said about him still being her husband was true, she didn't want to believe it. Anakin was dead.

Just then, Sidious reentered the dining room and asked, "Well Lord Vader, have you talked some sense into her?"

Padme cut in with, "My decision is final!"

But Sidious would have none of it. He had had enough of her stubbornness for one night. "I believe I was addressing Lord Vader."

Padme closed her eyes briefly as Vader answered, "I'm afraid that it appears that she will not be changing her mind just now."

"Well then my apprentice, escort her to her room."

Padme rose with Vader and walked to the door, but made sure that she wasn't less than a foot near him.

She did however come close to him as they went through the door, but looked straight ahead as if he wasn't there. As the door closed, she heard a faint laugh come from Sidious, who was still in the dining room.

Vader and Padme both walked in silence down the long corridors. Every now and then she could feel Vader's chilling gaze on her. Each time she swallowed, trying not to return it.

_What is wrong with you?_ She asked herself. _Why are you so nervous all of a sudden?_ Then she realized that she knew exactly why: she was still in love with him.

* * *

Okay I swear that was intended to be longer, but I'm a little stuck, and honestly needed a break. Well, I hope you enjoyed this much though. 


	10. Snap!

**A/N: I'm so very sorry that it took me so long to update...I'm not even totally pleased with this chapter, but I'll see what you think. R&R!

* * *

: Chapter 10 : **

* * *

Vader and Padme both walked in silence down the long corridors. Every now and then she could feel Vader's cold gaze on her. Each time she swallowed, trying not to return it. 

What is wrong with you? She asked herself. Why are you so nervous all of a sudden? Then she realized that she knew exactly why: she was still in love with him.

Wait…that couldn't be right. She had been cursing him just the other day; Anakin really. _Anakin_…yes, it was him that she still loved. True, she had said she hated him, but really, how could she hate Anakin? She had been wrong that night in the cottage. Maybe it wasn't_intirely_ his fault; she had heard stories about the Jedi who had been seduced by the Dark side.

_Seduced by the Dark Side..._

The last five words rang in her head, sending chills throughout her body. Yes, the stories she had heard hadn't been pretty. Even the best Jedi could be turned. Count Dooku had been a wonderful, compassionate Jedi—or so she had heard from the other Jedi. She knew that Anakin had been all that and even more to her. The person that now walked beside her couldn't be him. This person was a heartless murderer, feared villain, someone of unspeakable cruelty. But…why had Vader—someone so evil—shown her that she still loved Anakin? That was something that she didn't know at the moment.

They had reached her room.

Vader pushed the small red button on the right side of the door to open it. Padme mumbled a small, "Goodnight," and then started to walk inside when she felt a hand grasp her elbow tightly. Vader swung her around and looked into her dark eyes. "Padme, for your sake I suggest you reconsider." Then, he stalked down the hall, his black cape billowing out behind him.

Padme stared after him, and when he was out of sight she stepped inside her room. Once the door closed behind her, she let out an exasperated sigh and covered her face with her hands. Sinking to the floor, she dropped her hands and stared out the window ahead of her. All she saw was space. As she looked out at the billions of stars, she found herself asking where her son was

Because the truth was, even _she_ didn't know where he was.

**Flashback**

"**Where will they be hidden?" Padme inquired. She was in Coruscant, standing before the Jedi council, two months after she had given birth.**

"**That, Senator Amidala, you will never know," Mace Windu replied in a kind yet firm tone.**

**Padme stared at him for a moment before asking, "Why?"**

**Obi-Wan stepped in. "Vader knows about Luke. Therefore, Vader and the Emperor will be after him, I assure you. The reason you will never know of Luke's whereabouts is so if you are ever captured by the imperials, you will not be able to give away the secret."**

**Padme considered this for a moment. "I see your point, Master Kenobi," she said, nodding. "But I do not however see why I mustn't know where Leia's whereabouts." Seeing Yoda open his mouth to speak, Padme pressed on. "Please. I can't bear not knowing where both of my children are. If they are safe, if they have love and happiness. At least let me know where Leia is."**

**The council looked around at each other, and then Master Windu finally replied. "Leia will be with Bail Organa on Alderaan."**

**Padme sighed with relief. "Thank you."**

**End of Flashback**

Standing up, Padme walked over to the window and pressed her right hand against her chest, feeling her now steady heart-beat. Looking out once again at the bright stars, she whispered, "I love you Leia, and I love you too Luke…wherever you are." As she whispered the last three words, a single tear fell down her cheek. The crystal droplet landed on the back of her hand, the one that covered her heart. Closing her eyes, Padme said a long prayer for both of her beautiful children.

* * *

Several days passed by, and each time Padme was called by the Emperor, she was questioned about Luke. And each time she was questioned, she defiantly lifted her chin and gave the same answer, "You'll never know." 

Finally, Sidious had had enough. He summoned his guards and told them to fetch Amidala yet again.

Padme was sitting on the small couch in her bedroom, brushing her long hair when the door buzzed. Standing up, she walked over and opened it. Before stood three guards.

"The Emperor would like to speak with you," The tallest one told her in a gruff voice.

"Very well," Padme replied reluctantly. She came out and closed the door, and began following the guard down the corridor with the other two behind her.

Darth Vader stood before his master. "With all due respect, I do not believe that Amidala will give in to our simply asking her."

Sidious chuckled. "Don't worry, Lord Vader. After today, we will have our answer."

Vader knew that that meant Padme would receive some type of torture. For some reason, that made him uncomfortable. However, the fact that he was uncomfortable made him even more uncomfortable. Force, he had killed so many people in the galaxy, why should torture to one person bother him?

_Because she is your wife,_ a voice told him inside.

Vader pushed the thought out of his head, just as the door behind opened. He turned around, and before him stood Padme Amidala. She was dressed in burgundy pants and shirt, with a black glistening belt that was slung on her waist and stopped on her left hip, and on her arms were black metal cuffs. She looked beautiful, as always.

Suddenly, Sidious interrupted his thoughts, "Now Amidala, I grow tired of asking this question. Where is Luke?" His eyes were menacing and full of hatred as he stared at Padme.

However, Padme only lifted her chin and spat, "I'll never tell you!"

As quick as a flash, Sidious has closed the space between them, his hand on her throat.

Padme gasped, trying desperately to breathe. Sidious's grip was so strong that it seemed it would take a few people to get him to loosen his hand.

Vader watched, agony growing inside him. There she was, this magnificent creature clawing at the bony hand that was now trapping her throat, closing off her air supply. Padme's face turned bright red, but then began to grow pale, and the fire left her eyes. Finally, her eyes started rolling back.

At the same time, something snapped inside Vader.

"Master," He began suddenly, sharply. "I would like to speak with you alone with permission."

Sidious turned to look at Vader, studying his cold eyes. After a moment, he dropped Padme to the floor. "Take her back to her chambers," He ordered to the guards.

The guards grabbed Padme's arms, and dragged her out of the room with Vader watching.

Once the door shut behind them, Sidious spoke. "You do not agree with this method, do you Lord Vader?" He asked walking back toward his throne.

"No, I do not I'm afraid," Vader replied. "If you do not mind, I would like to deal with her."

Sidious pondered this for a moment. He did not sense that Vader was planning to do anything stupid, so he gave in. "Very well, Lord Vader. However, I have a new mission for you, which I do not want you to neglect. There are rumors of a Rebel base on Dantooine. I would like you to look into that. Take Amidala if you must, but do_not_ let her escape."

Vader bowed. "Yes my Master. I will leave immediately."

* * *

So...what did you think? I feel like Sidious shouldn't have given in so easily, but...I don't know, I justdidn't feel like putting in a "love/attachment lecture", if that makes sense.

Anyway, I can't wait to post the next few chapters!

Oh right I forgot. A lot of times my chapters have a lot of the words running together like, shesaid or something, but something on the computer is doing it. I don't know what, but just wanted to let you know.


	11. Why?

Chapter 11

Padme stared out at the billions of stars that were just beyond the glass. She could feel his eyes upon her again. He seemed to be trying to pull her gaze towards him. They'd been playing this game for hours now. He would look at her, and she would pretend not to notice. But they both knew that she did, and was trying hard not to gaze back into his eyes.

_Those cold blue eyes of yours, _Padme thought. They could freeze anyone in a second, resulting in the target to lose whatever courage they had. Those eyes had a strange look to them. It was like a cerulean blue storm with flashes of lighting. It appeared as if lighting had flashed across the ocean, but had suddenly frozen into place. A frozen storm. So cold, that one felt like they were on the icy planted Hoth in an instant.

"There's a bedroom in the back," Vader told Padme, breaking into her thoughts. "You should go back and get some sleep. We'll be there in about6 hours. You look exhausted."

For the first time in hours, Padme glanced over at Vader. "Where are we going?" She asked softly, almost timidly.

"You'll find out when we get there."

Sighing, Padme stood up and went to the back of the ship, eager to have some time to herself.

After finding the bedroom and closing the door once she entered, Padme squeezed her eyes shut and put a hand on her forehead. She had so many conflicting emotions about Vader. One minute she was convinced that she still loved him, and the next she couldn't even so much as look at him! She didn't understand herself at all these days.

_I do love him though...I'm just terrified of what he could do to me. Is it possible to love a man, yet fear him more than anyone else? This just doesn't make sense!_

_Maybe love's not supposed to makes sense,_ Padme frowned. It had to be. It was _impossible_ to deny her feelings for him. But, there were some issues that she had to work through and get over before she could truly embrace him.

Padme shook her head. She needed some sleep. Lying down on the black bed, Padme closed her eyes, and hoped that that would help refresh her mind, that was plagued with thoughts that she didn't want to be there.

After almost a half an hour of just lying there, Padme sat up. A shiver ran down her spine, and she looked around, rubbing her arms. She had an eerie feeling that she was being watched.

Feeling stupid, Padme realized that Vader probably had cameras around, and was probably watching her right now.

"**Captain Typho has more than enough men downstairs.  
No assassin will try that way. Any activity up here?" Obi-Wan inquired.**

Anakin turned towards Obi-Want. "Quiet as a tomb. I don't like just waiting here for something to happen to her."

After checking a hand-sized view scanner in his hand, Obi-Wan turned once again towards his apprentice. "What's going on?" He asked. "

"She covered the cameras. I don't think she liked me  
watching her."

She hadn't been too comfortable with the idea of Anakin watching her sleep. She wasn't too comfortable with having Vader watch her sleep now.

Suddenly, much to her surprise, her mind clouded over. Padme rose, but quickly found that weariness was taking over her body as well. _Forced_ weariness. Stumbling a bit, Padme leaned down and gripped the edge of the comforter. "S-stop..." Padme began, but she was finally overpowered with exhaustion, and passed out onto the bed.

Hours later, Padme awoke to someone knocking on her door. Padme stood up and after patting her hair back into place, made her way over to the door, expecting Vader. Instead, there was a black protocol droid.

"Lord Vader told me to come and inform you that we've arrived at our destination," The droid said in its mechanical voice.

"Thank you," Padme returned as she followed the droid out of the ship. Vader was waiting at the bottom of the ramp for her.

They were on a planet that was beautiful yet somewhat dark and gloomy at the same time. Padme glanced around. It was actually pretty dreary. The leaves on all the trees were a dark, dark green, and she could see gray mountains in the distance. There was also quite a bit of fog. Not exactly the spot she would've picked to live on, but then, she wasn't a bloody-thirsty Sith. They walked toward a large castle surrounded by large gates and trees.

"This is Bast Castle," Vader said, as he looked over at Padme. "You look better. Did you sleep well?" He inquired, trying yet again to catch her eyes.

"Well," Padme began with an edge to her voice. "As well as a person can. A person who's forced to sleep, that is."

"You're welcome," Vader returned, his voice icy.

The pair didn't say anything else to each other until the reached the inside of the castle.

It was beautiful inside; Padme had to admit it. There were flowers, statues, mirrors, and blood red couches trimmed in gold. To her left was a large living room that led to other rooms, and to her right were two large doors that most likely led to a ballroom or dining room of some sort.

"I'll show you to your room," said Vader, motioning for her to follow him up a large stair case.

Once at the top, Padme saw that there were several hallways with closed doors, and another set of stairs that led to another level. They walked past several doors until they reached the end of the first hallway. Vader opened the last door on the left and moved aside so she could walk past him. Before shutting the door, Vader leaned down and said into her ear, "I'll talk to you later. You are free to go wherever you like." Then, he left.

Padme looked around her. The bedroom was wonderful. A large bed in the middle of the room; a vanity with expensive cosmetics, brushes, and colored perfumes; a large walk-in closet; a lounge, and a large bathroom. It was beautiful.

Padme sighed and went to take a hot shower.

A storm had begun while Padme was cleaning up. Afterward, Padme stepped into the large closet (she had discovered there were more than enough clothes for her in there.) and selected a slinky, floor-length, halter dress. It was black, and fit her like almost like a second skin. After black heels to match, she brushed her hair and headed out of her room.

She explored the extravagant castle for quite some time until she found what appeared to be a small library with an unlit fireplace. Walking into the room, Padme looked around, seeing that there was a large comfortable looking sofa in front of the fireplace, a few chairs, and several filled bookcases. There were also two glass doors that opened to a balcony, but going out to look at the stars right now was out of the question; she would be soaked in a few seconds.

Padme noticed that the room was quite chilly and shivered. Suddenly, the fireplace came alive with light.

"Cold?" a voice asked. Padme froze for a moment, and then walked over the glass doors and pressed her right hand to one of them. She then stared out at the storm for what seemed like eternity.

"I hate the rain," she heard herself say softly. "It rained the day you left...it rained all day. It was almost as if nature were mocking me. As if the storm in my heart wasn't enough, it had to rain everywhere else too."

Vader was silent for a moment. "Yes Padme, I left. But I still loved you; I had hoped that you would remember that."

Padme dragged her hand slowly down the glass. "That love ended. Once you became Vader, I knew we'd never be the same," she answered solemnly, turning around to face him. Now, instead of a frozen storm, his eyes seemed to mirror what was just behind her, beyond the glass.

"Padme," Vader said, walking towards her, slowly. "When I left, I had no choice! It was either join the Emperor or die!" His eyes seemed to plead with her to understand.

"Yes you did!" Padme exclaimed. "You were strong enough! I know you were! You did have a choice!"

"The path I chose was the best. I got what was promised to me; power. More power than I could have ever imagined Padme! The only thing I needed to be complete was you."

Padme stared. "I wanted Anakin. And now, as far as I'm concerned, he's dead."

Vader was very close to her now, looking down into her chocolate brown orbs. Taking her into his arms, he stated, "Yes, I'm afraid so. But what's so wrong with Vader?" He leaned down, his lips only an inch away from hers. Before they touched Padme turned her head, causing him to kiss her cheek.

"Vader is...not what I want. He's so evil, cold and...And a murderer."

Vader backed away from the doors, pulling her with him. Then he pushed her chin up with his index finger, looking deeply into her eyes.

"I would never hurt you, Padme..." he cooed, surprisingly gently.

Padme abruptly pushed him away from her, giving him a look of disbelief. "You already did!" With a roll of her eyes, Padme turned once again to stare out the glass. He was really beginning to sicken her at this point.

"Padme," Vader began. "Maybe you wouldn't have had so much pain if you had come with me!"

She had had enough. Quick as a flash, Padme whirled around. Her eyes were like two balls of fire. "NO! Don't you DARE try and blame ME for your mistake! YOU hurt me, and obviously never stopped to wonder how much. Well, whether or not you want to, you will know how much! You tore my life apart! Causing the tables to turn, this time leaving me in agony! When you left, you stole something from me. My soul...my _soul._

"The only man I _ever_ loved in my life left because of his greed! His sickening, repulsing greed!" Tears began to run from her eyes, leaving trails on her face.

"For the longest time I was just in shock, refusing to believe the truth. You know, I just kept saying, 'he'll be back,' and then every single time I heard a knock on the door I thought it was you! Every time someone called, I prayed that it was you! And every time I received a letter, my heart leaped at the thought that maybe it was from you. But it never was. NEVER! I lived in complete paranoia."

The tears were now flowing freely, her having no control over them. A small smile suddenly formed on her streaked face, and she glanced down with a faraway look in her eyes." There was one thing that kept me going." With a small laugh, she continued. "My baby. My sweet, sweet little child. The knowledge that I did have one piece of Anakin left. One gift."

Her smile disappeared, and her face turned to stone. "Now, because of you, that's gone too!" Padme began to cry again.

After a few moments, she looked back up into Vader's cold eyes, her face broken. With a gasp, she asked, "Can't you see that you've broken my heart?"

Vader looked away, ashamed. She was right; he had never stopped to think about how much pain he had caused her.

Before he could say anything in reply, Padme looked up at him with her tear streaked face, and stared into his eyes. She spoke again in a barely audible voice.

"Why did you punish me for loving you?"


	12. You Listen

**A/N: Okay, I'm really sorry. I neglected this for a really really really long time. So here we go. Oh, and I replaced the last chapter, you can read it to refresh your memory if you want, but if not, there's nothing in there that changed significantly. I just think it's written better than the otherversion. And there will probably be only one chapter left after this one, so I hope you've enjoyed it so far. Okay, and also, we're assuming that the confrontation with Padme and Anakin on Mustafar never happened. I tried to change it so it did happen, but didn't feel it worked with the story. Plus I started writing this before episode 3 came out. :-) So here we go:**

* * *

_What Love Sacrifices _**:

* * *

**

Padme swallowed and shook her head. "Why?" She managed to choke out again.

Vader stared at the floor. He didn't know what to say. So many thoughts were going through his head, keeping him from responding.

He finally looked up, after what seemed like an eternity. "I thought I was doing what was best for you. For _us._"

Padme stared at him in disbelief, tears still coursing down her cheeks. She swallowed, once again. "So, you thought that…that killing your friends, your _family_, and terrorizing the galaxy was the best thing for me? Us?" She let out a small laugh of indignation.

Vader's eyes began to burn with anger. He clenched his fists and replied, "To save you! You knew about the dreams that I had of you dying! They were as vivid as the ones of my mother!"

"And I didn't die, did I!" Padme exclaimed.

"Because of what I did! If I had done anything differently, the dream would have predicted your fate correctly! I saved you, Padme!"

Padme gazed into his blue eyes, and slowly shook her head in negation. "No you didn't. You killed me."

Letting out a shaky breath, she walked around Vader and out the door, leaving him in the room, with her lingering words, the crackling of fire, and the pattering of rain.

Once again, he was alone.

* * *

Padme marched quickly to her suite holding the tears back that threatened to release themselves. When she reached her room, she shut the door, and pushed herself on the bed, crying. 

How could he not realize that he had crushed her soul? How could he possibly think that he had saved her? He was ruthless, insensitive, a monster.

* * *

Vader entered his bedroom, anger heavy in his heart, and evident upon his face. After slamming the door, he began pacing back and forth across the room, letting out a growl of frustration every now and then. After a while, he sat down on the bed. 

How couldn't she understand that he gave everything up for her? To save her, they could be together? She was ungrateful, and unwilling to see things through his perspective!

* * *

Amidst all the emotions swirling through her, the one that came out was anger. Lifting her head off of her pillow, Padme clenched her jaw, her eyes turning darker than they already were with fury.

* * *

Vader looked up, his eyes yellow with hatred.

* * *

**(A/N: In case you can't tell, at this next part, they're both doing the same thing.)**

Grabbing anything within reach, throwing it towards the wall, letting out every frustration, every tear, every scream that was kept inside for so long. Leaning against the wall, sinking to the floor.

Padme buried her face into her open palms, and wept.

Vader stared at the wall, memories flooding through his head, as fast as the water tumbles down a great waterfall. Images of the happier times, sad times, and the times of anger.

"_Are you an angel?"_

"_What?"_

"_I'm glad to have met you, Anakin."_

"_I don't like sand. It's rough, coarse, irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything's soft, and smooth."_

"_No. I shouldn't have done that."_

"_You are in my very soul, tormenting me."_

"_I killed them."_

"_You're not all-powerful, Ani."_

"_I hate them!"_

"_To be angry is to be human."_

"_I can't; we can't; it's just not possible."_

"_I truly, deeply, love you."_

_Padme in a white dress. A priest leaving. Sealing their marriage with a kiss. Looking out at the golden sunset of Naboo._

"_Anakin, I'm pregnant."_

_Padme drenched in sweat, tears streaming down her face. "Anakin! Help me! Please!" A baby's cry._

"_How long is it going to take for us to be honest with each other?"_

"_I lived in complete paranoia."_

"_Can't you see that you've broken my heart?"_

"_Anything's possible, Padme, listen to me."_

"_No you listen!"_

"**YOU LISTEN!" **

The last image repeated, over and over again.


End file.
